Toy car unloader



Oct. 5, 1948. w, R. SMITH 2,450,867

roY CAR UNLOADER Filed Dec. 15, 1942 2 sheets-sheet 1 Oct. 5, 1948. w. R. SMITH 'roar om unLoAnEn y 2 sheets-Shana Filed Dec. l5, 1942 m .m .m

lINVENTOR dn-/7/ 'Warn/graff ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 5, 1948 UNITED- sTAT'Es PATENTv orties 'William assigner to Y if The A. C. Gilbert Company, New Haven, Conn.,r al corporation of Maryland Application December 15, 1942, Serial' No.. 469,046

(Cl. Ll6-218)v 3' Claims.

. 1 'This'invention 'relates' in general to toys: automatically' motivated under electrical control for simulating aotivitifesy of equipment associated withrailwa-y opera-tionandparticularly in connection withun-loadingbaggage or other to-y' articles from the car cia toy train as when the latter isdrawn up at the platform of a yrailway station" or' depot'.v y

One fobjie'ct of the''invention is to providean electrical-lyoperated toy set including astretch of `toy track,l atoy train including a baggage,

express-vor freight cark and altoy railway plat-v form alongsidethetrack including,r parts electrical-ly operable under remotecontrol so th-at Y thegpfarts mentioned realistically imitate the familiar performanceeof unloading baggage from the'- t'oytrain.`

Withthe ,foregoing and related objects in view, an illustrative form of toy apparatus ern-- bodying the present improvements is set forth in the following description, in which reference is' had" to the accompanying drawings', wherein the arrows on all section planes denote thedi-rection of observation in which each corresponding! sectionalview'i'sdrawn.

Fig; l is aV fragmentary plan View showing the interior of a toy baggage` car with'its roof removed and `certain parts'- sectioned on the plane' |`-|1 iin- Fig. 2L

Fig. 2fisa View taken: in section through they baggage car on the plane 2-2 in Fig'. I.

Fig. 3' is a View drawn on an enlarged scale takenin section` erosswise through the baggage car andl track rails on the plane 3'3 in' Fig. 2.

F'gmdl is a'Y fragmentarybottom plan View of a central portion-*oil the car.

Figj5l isape-rspe'ctive view of an auxiliary roof section removed Vfrom the baggage receiving compartment ofthe cari Fig'. 6 is a diagramcf an electricalsystein by means of which the performance of di-ie'rent electromagnetically operated parts ofthe toycar mayfb'einitiated and-synchronized under remote control.

The structure: of thev toy' railway station in-v cludes a low' hollow platform I which may bemade of" sheet'i metal.

Figs. 2 and 3, 'a stretch of toyv railway' illustrative car or then/'train islspeciaily equipped to participate in the automatic handling ands transfer therefrom of the baggage piece |11.l

The usual frame |52 of the boX type of car forms an enclosure which may have two pairs 'of baggage loading, and unloading door openings or Idoorways H34 in the side walls thereof. The openings of each pair are opposite eachother and between these opposite openings of each pair, the car is provided with a baggage receptive compartment. Each such compartment contains an electromagnet |05, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, whose core IUS projects from .the magnet coil toward each side of the carv and assists in determining the performance of the baggage piece |16'- when it is being loaded into either side of the car as will later appear, Each of openings |64 is provided with a slidable door or two pairs of doorsy |03, making four doors all of which are so connected as to be opened and closed in unison by the action of a third electromagnet |09 located in the car between the compartments containing electromagnets- H35. The-- core ends |`|0 of magnetA Ig at a'- suitableti-'rne simultaneously attract the armaturesl-'Il eaclfiof` which is pivoted to the car fram-e at |'-|2A but normallyv pulled away vfrom its core lfll' byl a spring Ill-3f which normally urges each* armature toy its broken line position in Fig. 2 where it rests against anl upright partition |15 xed' to the carpirame. Y slide lengthwise ofthe car at both its bottom and top edges to and from a position to close its doorway |104. Thebpttonr edge slides in a guide trough orlinear continuous depressed channels |'6` formed in the hoor wall'. of the car to extend lengthwise thereof. The top'portions of opposite Ydoors arefconnected by cross rods which.

ingly engage with an elongated slot |24 formed' in a roof bracket' |25 rigid with the car frame; Each of armatures carries afstif' element or angle arm |2'6 which Aprojects upwardly through and-rides'lengthwise in the slot |2|v and pivotally engageslrwi'thone of twocen-trallyl-ocated hollow pivotaljoin-ts or eyelets'. @2T of thel-'azy tOYIgS'- Each door |08' is guided to' mechanism thereby enabling the clectromagnet |09 to actuate the lazy tongs mechanism and cause it to extend from its full line position to its broken line position in Fig. l for opening the car doors |08.

The floor of each car compartment occupied by one of the electromagnets |95 includes a main floor stationary with car frame |02 and a swingable auxiliary floor section |29 pivotally supported on the fulcrum pin |39 which is fixed to the car frame. Section |29 can swing upward from its normal or full line position to its tilted or broken line position in Fig. 3. In its full line position the inner edge of section |29 rests on stationary frame pins |3| in coplanar relation to a cutout in the main floor that extends through the lateral edge thereof and fianks doorway |04. Thus door section |29 in its said full line position occupies and is coniined to the limits of such cutout. The upward swing of each section |-29 to its tilted or broken line position |29 is limited by a stop-pin |32 which also is fixed in the frame of the car in the path of upward swing of floor section |29. From each o-f the article ejectors or catapult door sections |29 there Cle-- pends an armature |33 rigid therewith and positioned to be attracted by the core |34 of a catapult electromagnet |35. Thus there are four such catapult electromagnets as |35, |35', |91 and |31', arranged in two pairs, the magnets of each pair being rigidly supported beneath the car body in coaxial alignment crosswise of the car by means of an insulative bracket |36 fixed on the car frame. For purposes that will hereinafter appear, the roof portion of each baggage l receptive compartment in the car is equipped with a baggage piece deiiector shield |38 most clearly appearing in Figs. 3 and 5.

Means for electrically energizing simultaneously the windings of door-operating magnet |09 and baggage-piece attracting m-agnet |05, include the grounding of one end of each of said magnets to the car frame as at |45 (Fig. 6) wherefore current from said end of each winding passes to one or both of the traction rails 91, 93, and said electrical energizing means further include connection of the other end of each of said magnets to the terminal spring finger |39 which is carried below and insulated from the frame of the car by means of the terminal block |40 of non-conductive material and thus serves as a collector shoe wiping constantly against the central or third or power rail |4| of the train track, from which said rail the locomotive of the toy train (not shown) also derives its power throughout the length of the track in the toy railroad system. 'I'hus it will be plain that whenever the train is running, car doors |08 are closed and magnet |05 is energized, whereas the instant current is out off from the track for stopping, the train doors |08 open and magnet |05 becomes deenergized.

Means for conducting current at different selected times through the windings of each of catapult magnets |35', |31', |35, |31, which are carried by the car reside in the grounding of each such magnet to the car frame as at |46 (Fig. 6). Such current conducting means further reside in electrical connections between each of the said four magnets and four spring fingers |41, |48, |49 and |50, respectively, each of which is carried below and insulated from the frame of the car by one or the other portion of terminal block |40. Spring fingers |41, |48, |49, and |50 thus serve as collector shoes which, when the train draws up in front of the station platform I0, ride 4 into contact with separate short sections of electrically conductive rails |54, |55, |56 and |51, respectively, located intermediate the traction rails 91 and 98 and insulated therefrom as well as from each other by bed plates |58 made of non-conductive material.

The stationary and individually insulated contacts of a remote control switch |62 are respectively denoted by letters from A to I, inclusive, in Fig. 6, and any one of such contacts may selectively be placed in circuit with the conductive distributor arm |65 of such switch which swings about and possesses the electrical polarity of its pivot |69. Arm |65 therefore is electrically connected always to one secondary terminal |10 of the toy power supply transformer, so marked in Fig. 6, the other secondary terminal |1| of which connects with the ground as at |12 in said iigure. A supply of alternating current to the transformer is indicated at |15. All grounding points denoted in Fig. 6 as |45, |46, and |12, are understood to be in constant electrical communication through the various structural parts of the toy that are made of electrically conductive material.

The complete toy illustrated and described in the foregoing operates as follows. When the disitact A only to the power rail |4| of the toy railway track system and thence through the electric motor of the locomotive of the train (not shown) to the traction rail 98 and thence back to the toy transformer terminal |1| or to ground |12 of the same polarity. Hence a train can be traveling along the track toward the station embodying these improvements. In Fig. 6 it will be noted that the power rail |4| also supplies current through the car-carried collector shoe |39 to the car-door closing magnet |09 whose solenoid is further electrically connected with the ground |12 through the frame |02, wheels 99, and traction rail 98. Simultaneously the two drag-in magnets |05 in the baggage compartment of the car are energized through the power rail shoe |39, each of these magnets having its solenoid connected to ground |12 as is the solenoid of the car-door operating magnet |09.

As a first step in operating the toy by means of remote control switch |62, distributor arm |65 is shifted from contact A to contact F whereupon the power rail |4| of the track system is deprived of current. The train when deprived of power comes to rest with the baggage car positioned beside the station platform |0. Also when the power rail |4| is deprived of current, the cardoor operating magnet |09 is deenergized permitting springs I3 to pull the armatures to their broken line positions in Figure 2 thus contracting the lazy tongs ||8 to its broken line position in Figure 1 and simultaneously opening all four of the car doors. It may be assumed that the baggage accommodating compartment in the left end of the carin Figure 2, which is opposite the track side platform, is empty, while the baggage compartment at the right end of the car contains, on the platform side of the car-carried magnet 05, a second piece of baggage I4 at the time the train arrives at the platform.

If a baggage piece should chance to be resting in a position wherein it fails to clear the doorway of the car, attracting magnet |05 acts at a proper time to pull the baggage piece inwardly of the car to such position as is shown in Fig. 3

amuser for clearing the. doorway ofythe car compartment asv willi l-aterbe described.

Through contact H the shortrai'l section is provided with current so that through the collector shoev DS9 the. car unloading'. magnet l''beneath thev compartment' which containsA baggage piece lfi in Fig- 3' is. energized,v its: solenoid. being grounded at ill to the frame. of the car and thereby electrically connected through the wheels S9 or 'they car and track rail 93 to the ground side |12. of the. toy transformer.

and'. tilts the rcar floor section 52e upwardly about itsA fulcrum pin i3d until its movement is abruptly checked by stop-pin i32- in the broken lineposition sho-wn in Fig. 3'. piece. I4 to slide. off from the car floor section onto truck H or to. be. flungI or catapulted from the car `floor section, clear of the side of the car and onto the station platform il). if additional baggage pieces differing in appearance from baggage piece llias. to color, shape, or size are' used, it can be apparent to the observerwhen a dif- This draws the. armature |33. smartly toward the left. in: Fig. 3

"lhis causesthe baggage ferentarticle' of baggage has been unloaded Y from the car than that which was formerly loaded into the car. The construction of each baggage piece wherein its inner body of magnetically attractable material is covered by-a thin shell I5 of non-magnetic material, such as brass, prevents any residual magnetism in the core |66 of electromagnet |05 from causing the baggage piece to adhere to said core after its solenoid has of these three electromagnets are energized through collector shoes lill, IAS or |56 respectively. This may be accomplished merely by placing the distributor arm |55 against contacts F, G, or I, respectively, of the remote control switch. lit will also be understood that the construction of switch 62 is such that the istributor arm |65 need not sweep the various lettered contacts of this switch sequentially but `may be lifted clear of certain contacts and pass them, without supplying current thereto, for reaching other selected contacts. The four compartments in the baggage car, each having the ability to receive and eject the same or afdifferent piece of baggage, m'ake the car universally usable for unloading purposes by means of the Yremote control switch and regardless of which side of the car may be adjacent to the platform of the station.

After the above -described series of operations or some desired part thereof has been carried out in a sequence which is optional with the desire of the operator through the lability of distributor arm |55 to be placed selectively at any time on any one of the lettered contacts of the remote control switch, this distributor arm may finally be shifted to contact L, whereupon current supply will be restored to the power rail le! of the track system, just as when the distributor arm was originally located at contact A, so that the train will start running under its own power and pull out' from in front of the station. At the same time and through current collector shoe |35, the magnets |05 in the baggage compartments of the car become reenergized and attract to themselves any baggage piece which may have been loaded incompletely into the car and therefore be. standingin the way of the closing of the door.V At the4` same time theA door closing magnet' |89' becomes.: energized also through the same collector shoe 39', and overcomes the armature biasing springs H3 causing the armatures iii to assume their full line position in Fig. 2 and thus elongate` the lazy tongs H8, thereby closing all four oil the car doors simultaneously. It will be understood that current collecting shoe- |39 rides constantly in contact with the power rail Mil throughout the length of the track system ofthe toy railway'but if desired, the current collecting shoes lill, Hifi, i553, and |59 need have no rails to engage except when the car is standing at the-station platforml or in some other partic-ularv location along the track where its Various door and'baggage actuating magnets need to be energized for assisting in loading or unloading operations or the like.

The invention may be embodied in forms 'of to?,7 apparatus differing from the exact parts herein disclosed' and many modications of the latter may beV resorted to within the intended scopeV ofthe appended claims'.

The' remote control switch |t2 'may take the form of a drum type of step-by-step circuit controller operated by repeatedly depressing a single push-button or control handle operating a ratchet pawl drive in well understood manner. The circuits may be varied in many ways from those shown in Fig. 6 and the railroad track may consist of only two traction rails or may comprise a three-rail system involving the third or power rail as herein employed.

In Fig. 3 it is clear that when the ejector or i catapulting section |29 occupies its'lifted position as shown in broken lines in Fig. 3, the guide trough i6 of the same rises into the sliding path- Way of the edge of door m8 thus blocking the door and preventing it from closing u'ntil the ejector has dropped again to full line position in Fig. 3. It is equally evident from the same figure that when door. Q3 is closed, it overlies the guide trough H6 of swingable section |29 and preventsk the latter from lifting to 'said broken line position to perform its catapulting action. Thus there is mutual blocking of the section IZSB by door |98 and of door IEB by section |29 insurm ing the proper sequence of action, namely to insure that the baggage or other load piece it shall not be catapulted While the door is closed, and insuring that the door will not be closed While the load piece is being catapulted.

The following claims will be understood to include in their intended scope all equivalents and substitutes for the particular parts of the apparatus herein illustrated which might be suggested to Workers in this art by the disclosure hereof.

This application discloses structure which is y also disclosed in my U. S. Patent No. 2,266,091,

in which patent certain features of construction are claimed involving parts and |33 hereof as well as combinations of the subject toy car with certain trackside equipment, apparatus, andVV electrical systems in part disclosed herein.

l claim:

l. An elongated vtoy railway box car constructed and operative to unload therefrom a toy article, including in combination, a side wall of the car containing a doorway for a slidable door, a horizontal main floor of the car having a cut-out extending through the lateral edge of saidfiloor at said doorway, an auxiliary floor section con structed and pivotally mounted to turn about an axis positioned to enable said oor section to swing about said axis between a tilted position occupying said doorway and blocking said door and a normal position in coplanar relation to said car floor conned to the limits of said cut-out in the latter, means normally to suport said oor section in said position, means to swing said oor section upward away from its said position toward said doorway into a tilted position, and a stop arranged in the path of the upward swinging movement of said section thereby suddenly to check said section in tilted position for catapulting out of `said doorway a toy article resting on said oor section.

2. An elongated toy railway box car, including in combination, opposite side walls of the car each containing two doorways, two pairs of doors supported and guided to move edgewise to and from positions to close said doorways respectively, a lazy tongs mechanism having movable pivotal connections to all of said doors respectively, and

. means to actuate said lazy tongs mechanism for expanding and contracting the latter lengthwise of the car including elements movable simultaneously in opposite directions lengthwise of the car pivotally connected to said lazy tongs mechanism at spaced points intermediate two of said pairs of opposite doors.

3. An elongated toy railway box car constructed and operative to unload therefrom a toy article, including in combination, a side wall of the car containing a doorway, a, horizontal main floor having a cut-out anking said doorway, an auxiliary floor section pivotally mounted to occupy said cut-out, means normally to support said floor section in horizontal position flush with said main iloor, said main floor and auxiliary oor section being formed to provide a linear continuous depressed channel extending lengthwise of the car, means to swing said Hoor section upward away from said ush position toward said doorway into a titled position, a stop arranged in the path of the upward swinging movement of said section thereby suddenly to check said section in tilted position for catapulting out of said door- Waya toy article resting on said oor section, and a door adapted to close said doorway having its lower edge slidably resting in said channel.

WILLIAM R. SMITH. No references cited. 

